» Ansari returns after his successful visit to Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan

Ansari returns after his successful visit to Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan

Published: Thursday, April 10, 2008, 19:32 [IST]

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New Delhi, Apr 10 : Vice President Hamid Ansari today arrived here after his very successful visit to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.

Ansari's visit opened new vistas between India and the two Central Asian countries.

During his visit, Ansari had asserted that greater economic engagement between India and Central Asian countries would not only prove beneficial mutually, but also help enhance potential for the region and the rest of the world.

Ansari reviewed the situation about trouble spots in South and Central Asia with Kazakh and Turkmen leaders.

They also reviewed progress on Turkmenistan-Afghanistan, Pakistan-India gas pipeline. On the implementation of the multi billion-dollar project, the technical committee meeting on the project will be held soon, official sources said.

The tour has opened new hopes of cooperation in hydrocarbon sector. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Turkmenistan on oil and natural gas and Kazakhstan's readiness to turn proactive on projects in the key sector were the highlights of Ansari's visit to Central Asia.

Both Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan extended support to India's candidature for the membership of the U.N. Security Council.

Ansari was also conferred doctorate degree by Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in Almaty on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, India and Kazakhstan agreed to move their cooperation from generalities to "project specific" agenda in areas of hydrocarbon, pharmaceuticals, information technology and education, even as Kazakh President Nurusultan Nazarbayev told Ansari that his country hoped to double the export of oil from 50 million tonnes annually to 100 million tones over the next 10 years.